1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user interface designing apparatus which can be applied to designing of a user interface for, e.g., a portable telephone such as a cellular phone, a cellphone, a mobile phone or the like as well as a portable information terminal so that display parts (e.g. graphic or the like parts to be displayed) can be changed or interchanged in accompanying the state transitions for events.
2. Description of Related Art
For better understanding of the concept underlying the present invention, description will first be made in brief of a related technique known heretofore. FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings is a block diagram showing a conventional user interface designing apparatus disclosed in, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 137599/2000. The user interface designing apparatus disclosed in this publication is comprised of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image designing device 101 which includes a layout design module 111 for designing, interactively, layout data, an attribute setting module 112 for setting property data and a generation opportunity or timing setting module 113 for setting generation opportunities or timings on a GUI part-by-part basis, a design data storing device 102 which includes storing units such as a layout data storing unit 121, a property data storing unit 122 and a generation timing data storing unit 123, a source program generating module 131 for generating a source program on the basis of design data, and an output unit 104 including a GUI image source program output module 141.
In the user interface designing apparatus of the structure described above, a source program for generating GUI parts on a GUI image screen and a source program of an access function is generated when a first generation timing is set or activated, while, when a second generation timing is set or activated, a source program of a dynamic generation access function is generated for generating the GUI part, as occasion requires.
With the conventional user interface designing apparatus of the arrangement described above, designing of the user interface parts accompanying the state transitions, as well as simulation of the user interface containing combinations thereof, cannot be implemented.